An Evaluation of Lottery Expenditures for Public School Safety in Georgia.

In 1994, approximately $20 million of Georgia Lottery for Education funds were spent to make schools safer. This report presents the results of an evaluation of Georgia Lottery for Education expenditures for technologies related to school safety. The study evaluated the safety technology at 15 Georgia public schools. Data were gathered through interviews with school administrators, security personnel, teachers, and students about drugs, alcohol, firearms, and violence in the schools and on-site inspections. Overall, students and staff perceived that their own school was safe, but felt that other schools might be unsafe. Drawbacks to the technological security interventions included unanticipated expenditures and a negative impact on public perceptions of school safety. The report recommends that policymakers examine the magnitude of school violence relative to other safety problems faced by students and staff; target spending to schools with identified safety problems; increase the emphasis on school climate and leadership as primary determinants of school safety; share information and resources among schools; and integrate evaluation into the design and dissemination of any new school-safety initiative. One table is included. Appendices include a map of the evaluated regions and sample application forms and guidelines. (LMI)